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April 12, 2014
The fundamental dishonesty
The Z Blog › Shrinkage The fact that the food makers are lying to us is not a stunning development.The standard has been set by public officials who lie so much it is impossible to know the truth. They lie on spec, as the gangsters say. Politicians have always lied, but it became the centerpiece of their morality in the Clinton years. This is when steaming piles of human filth like James Carville took over public discourse.
Posted by gerardvanderleun at April 12, 2014 9:48 AM. This is an entry on the sideblog of American Digest: Check it out.
Your Say
I don't think this is so much dishonesty as trying to keep food prices down. Inflation and costs are hammering businesses badly, and they are doing everything they can to keep their prices from being raised. So you get smaller packaging. My parents remember this happening in the 70s, too.
Posted by: Christopher Taylor at April 12, 2014 9:57 AM
Raising the price is honest. Reconfiguring the container to fool the buyer is dishonest. You cannot have a functioning market if prices are not honestly set.
Posted by: Z at April 12, 2014 10:02 AM
Not only the sizes, but the ingredients are cheaper, especially in 'premium' ice cream. I hadn't eaten ice cream for quite a while, and the other night I had some, and it was just awful. Quality and quantity changes.
Posted by: Jewel Atkins at April 12, 2014 10:15 AM
Not just food, either. Three years ago I noticed that Scott toilet paper, which I've bought in 15-20 roll packages for years, was narrower by about a half inch.
Check it out - the tube is shorter now. Subtle.
Posted by: Rob De Witt at April 12, 2014 12:25 PM
consumer studies document quite clearly that consumers react much more negatively to small price increases than they react to small quantity decreases. Even when you adjust the reaction for those that notice the change and those that don't notice any change, when you increase prices or you decrease quantity the reactions are very different.
If your costs go up, you ultimately MUST either increase price or decrease quantity. They choose the one that makes consumers the least mad.
Posted by: Scott M at April 12, 2014 1:57 PM
1.5 years ago the big blue container of Maxwell house coffee was 39 ounces, 6 months ago it became 34 ounces and today it is 29 ounces.
Will it be 24 ounces this coming fall?
Posted by: ghostsniper at April 12, 2014 3:36 PM
Part of that dynamic is the workers. They will decrease their output and get the same pay, so it kinda balances out, right?
And the consumers will just keep paying. Grumbling yes but still buying the coffee or toilet paper or whatever.
Posted by: chasmatic at April 13, 2014 9:21 AM